


Ballet Boy (pt. 2)

by sopesinmysalad (infidelrequiem)



Series: An Ode to Dance [2]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: :3, Alternate Universe - College/University, Ballet, Ballet Dancer Kim Jongin | Kai, Chen is the head of the music majors, Festival, Flirty Kim Jongin | Kai, Fluff, Jimin is about to whoop Namjoon's ass, Jongdae - Freeform, Lisa - Freeform, M/M, Press F for the best dance captain, Shy Kim Jongin | Kai, Shy Oh Sehun, Taemin has to herd them all, but hes also a Little Shit, bye, college festival, dance, from the first one shot, i do not remember, i dont know what else to tag, i mean just mentions, jaewon is a little shit, jaewon ships markbum, jaewon ships sekai, jungkook - Freeform, krystal - Freeform, mention of side Markbum, mentions of : - Freeform, momo - Freeform, namjoon - Freeform, other too ig, side minimoni, sort of like a representative for the festival, unlike shit yg did, we need to appreciate jaewon more, when i say mentions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:48:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25949875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/infidelrequiem/pseuds/sopesinmysalad
Summary: Jongin loved Dance History. He loved learning about how dance is an amalgamation , a heritage of so many cultures around the world. Loved to know what roles it played throughout history. Loved how so many, of his time and of bygone eras, lived and breathed dance as much as he did. Fun stuff, truly.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Oh Sehun
Series: An Ode to Dance [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1883389
Kudos: 10





	Ballet Boy (pt. 2)

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the teaser for Kai for the recent Super M comeback. So you can watch that for visuals and audio~  
> Please, the moment I saw that I KNEW I HAD to write a one shot in the Ballet Boy verse. AHHHHH.  
> STAN TODAY.
> 
> (Haven't proof read SERIOUSLY yet. Will remove this as soon as I finish)
> 
> (P.S same universe as Ballet Boy part 1 (markbum) but you don’t have to read that to get this)

_Dance was his first memory. His first destiny._

Jongin lay sprawled on the studio floor, post cool down, drained. They had been preparing a piece for the upcoming college festival, and that along with all of his regular classes had started to drain him. He turned his head to the side to look at his dance friends. They looked equally tired and drained, if not more, on Suzy's part. Jongin smiled, fond, and got up, walking towards her with a water bottle in hand.

"Thanks," she wheezed out, "I am," she gulped down a sip, "this close," she put up her hand to indicate said _close_ ,"to ditching this festival." She downed the rest of the bottle before sighing again, stretching up her arms in an attempt to shoo away the tiredness.

"Hey, come on. It will be over soon. Besides, you love the choreography!" Jongin moved to knead her shoulders and she slumped back, closing her eyes.

"Please, this is killing me. I wish I had taken dance as a major so I wouldn't have to struggle juggling like this. I'm in half a mind to suggest my position to Krystal," she tilted her head back and looked up at Jongin upside down, "You know her," she said pointedly. Jongin sighed, "Suzy." Suzy grinned, "Okay, okay. I know. Sorry. Have fun in your _me-time_."

"I just checked out the musical rehearsals, seems like that is going well." Jaewon walked up to the pair, grinning, "Seems like Jaebum has found himself a cute pianist to take to the dance. That makes one more less dancer who'll be alone at it," he turned to Jongin," so don't spoil our roll, man." Jongin sighed in exasperation as Suzy and Jaewon continued to discuss further about this mysterious pianist and the musical in general.

Maybe Jongin had had enough of a break? Should he just give in and try out dating again?

Jongin shook his head and decided to pack up, ready to go and crash onto his welcoming bed.

~~~

_The reason he danced was because it was fun. It is fun._

Jongin gulped the last of his milkshake, picking up his text material for the day's Dance History class as he ran to put on his shoes. He was running a bit late that day. As he jogged down the stairs, he saw another fellow dance major in a similar situation.

"Hyungwon!" He called out, startling the boy. "Sorry!" Jongin grimaced, catching up to his friend.

"We can make it if we run!" Jongin nodded in reply and both boys started their sprint towards the building where their first class for the day was being held.

Jongin loved Dance History. He loved learning about how dance is an amalgamation , a heritage of so many cultures around the world. Loved to know what roles it played throughout history. Loved how so many, of his time and of bygone eras, lived and breathed dance as much as he did. Fun stuff, truly. As they were in the vicinity of the concerned building, with four minutes to spare, Jongin was suddenly run into by someone hurrying across the other way from them. He collided with Jongin's side and yelped, staggering a little, grasping onto the side of his chest. His face scrunched up, before he seemed to realise, he opened his eyes and looked at Jongin, "Oh my god, I'm sorry! Are you okay?"

"Yo, I'm heading to class, okay? See you there," Hyungwon, jittery and having no time to witness whatever was going to happen, didn't want to be late to class. Based off of Jongin's face, he knew Jongin was going to sure be.

Jongin stared at the boy who was still frozen, hands slightly put out towards him, a worried expression on his face. But that wasn't all, Jongin kind of felt his heart skip a beat and he blinked a couple of times. What?

Stuck in a haze , he didn't realise he was being spoken to. Still frozen in place as the boy, now appearing more worried that maybe he _had_ hurt Jongin somehow, came closer and held his shoulder. Jongin felt a wee bit woozy in the head before he realised he'd held his breath all this while, which only made him wheeze it out.

"Oh my god, did that hurt?!" The boy took his hand off of his shoulder and kind of just hovered it over him. Jongin willed his brain to start working and say _something_ but then he suddenly was reminded of _why_ he was running. Class. _Shit._

"Ahhhhhh! I am late for class!" Jongin rushed out before he hiked up his bag higher and turned, taking off in a run, leaving the boy startled. What he didn't realise was that the collision had caused his dance locker keys to fall out, which the boy had noticed and picked up. Panicked, he helplessly stared off in the direction he had seen Jongin run off in, but he was already out of sight. Giving up and deciding to find him later, he started running himself, he _too_ had been late for his class , after all.

~~~

_He had always thought, the moment dance got boring for him, he'd quit right away. But at the same time, he didn't think that was ever going to happen._

"Wait, so you're telling me that, they _changed_ our time slots? Without asking us?!" Suzy raged as she walked up and down the hallway outside the dance studio. The schedule put up outside on the board opposite the studio had been _revised._ Marked in red, the time slots for their program had been shifted. Exchanged with the slots for the music department. In normal circumstances, this would still be annoying, but they would still manage. The new schedule packed all of their performances in a go, which would leave some of the dancers who appeared in _all_ of the pieces with no time to breathe in between.

"Did you call Jongdae?" Myungjun turned towards their current team captain.

"I did," Taemin sighed. He was agitated by all of this as well, but trying very hard to maintain his composure while the hot heads of his team sat restless and angry.

"Apparently the committee got in requests to put all the performances of the clubs together so that they can make it to them as they couldn't stay for the whole duration of the fest. The number of requests were enough that they couldn't ignore them. Jongdae told me that Namjoon sounded extremely sorry and exasperated as well-"

"-yeah, that's not going to help, is it? Jimin!" Suzy turned towards the silver haired boy, "How could your boyfriend do this?! Especially when you'll be amidst the ones constantly dancing!"

"Well..." Jimin set his jaw, visibly annoyed and at a loss of words. The fuck, really?

"I am going to punch somebody," Momo calmly stated. Taemin pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled.

"I'll go talk to him. Kookie? Lisa?" Jimin turned towards said dancers.

"Let's go smack their asses."

"We are _not_ going to fight, please be calm. _Jimin._ "

"Yes,yes, don't worry Min. I'll make sure."

As the team saw the three dancers leave, they began shuffling into the studio, an air of annoyance still very evident. As Taemin stood to count heads, he cocked his head in confusion.

"Wait, where is Jongin?" Taemin looked around. Jaewon snickered in reply, "Oh, he can't find his locker keys. He's currently going through his things for probably the fifth time. I'd say give him some time. Boy had a rough day with being late to his first class and then the series of unfortunate events that followed. You know, you were there."

Taemin grimaced, "I know, but we're so close to the festival. I can't have one of the centres miss practice. It doesn't look good," then," I guess I'll just make him stay back and come earlier tomorrow."

Back in the locker room, Jongin sat with a towel wrapped around his waist contemplating whether he should just ditch it and dance in the clothes he was wearing. It was a sunny day and all the running around had led to his shirt and jeans to stick uncomfortably to his body but, maybe in the time in which he had showered , they had sort of dried out?

As Jongin stood up to inspect his clothes, frowning a little in disgust and cursing himself again for having forgotten or lost his locker keys, he heard a low rap on the door to the locker room.

"Hello? Can I come in?" A muffled voice called out.

"Sure!"

The door clicked open and in popped in a pale faced head, eyes weary. Jongin perked up, his heart doing a thing, because it was the same boy from the morning!

When the boy's eyes landed on Jongin , they grew wide and he, panicked, moved to straighten from his lean but also rammed the door shut with a "Sorry!" but not in good timing as he ended up smashing his face with the door.

"Shit!Dude!" Jongin got up and walked towards the door, opening it to find that the poor boy had tripped backwards and now sat on the floor cradling his nose, eyes shut in a grimace of pain.

"I told you it was cool," Jongin began, "Does it hurt too bad, you think you can stand up?" he put forward his hand, expression encouraging the boy to take it once he had opened his eyes to look up at him. He lightly nodded, before removing one hand from his face to grip Jongin's. After hauling him up (and totally not metaphorically raising his eyebrows at the very obvious bulge in the boy's arms due to the flex) Jongin took him inside the locker room and made him sit down on the bench he was previously on.

"Hey, look up at me," Jogin moved in front of the boy and motioned for him to tilt his head up. As the boy slowly began doing so, Jongin took his chin between his thumb and forefinger, gently tilting his head side to side, inspecting the extent of the redness on his face.

"I don't think you broke a bone. Does it hurt more than a usual throb?"

"N-no," the boy let out, eyes not meeting Jongin's whose fingers still held his chin, his own face really close to the boy's. Yeah, Jongin knew what he was doing, but he didn't mean it in a mean way! He just couldn't help himself, but he was genuinely concerned too, okay?

"Okay," he smiled," but better go to the nurse's office later, just in case. I'd take you but I also have a dance rehearsal I'm," Jongin, trying to suppress the sudden surge of panic at the realisation, looked up at the wall clock in the room and cursed," apparently already fifteen minutes late to.” He moved away to resume inspecting his clothes from the morning, deeply dreading having to wear them but deciding, pouting, that he had no other choice.

"Um, I'm actually here to return this? I ran into you this morning, which, by the way, sorry, again. I think you dropped these then." Jongin turned to look over at the boy who held up the familiar silver keys that he'd been searching for the last twenty five minutes.

"Oh my god, thank you!" He rushed to take the keys, before letting out a few more strings of _thank yous ._ The deliverer of said keys and Jongin's relief sat there awkwardly while Jongin slammed his locker open, pulled out his practice clothes, shoved his jeans and shirt in, and proceeded to pull on his change of clothes. He heard a low thud towards his right, to which he spared a glance to see the boy turned around a one-eighty. Jongin smirked, before more pressing matters distracted him - how his ankle fitted warm-up pants refused to go up the sole of his foot as they were still a little wet. After hopping in place a bit, he finally got the hem over, and pulled the pants up, then wiping his feet to pull on his black ballet flats. Straightening up and smoothening out the creases of his shirt, tucking it into his pants so it rested loosely puffed around the high waist of his pants, he called out to the boy.

"I'm guessing you wanted to talk." The boy turned around, face tinged pink, but seemingly over his initial embarrassment. "But I have to run to practice. We could catch up later? Tomorrow? You could come a bit earlier so we can meet before practice." The boy got up and nodded , before extending his hand, a pale green sticky note in his hand, "I'd like to treat you, to apologise, and also...well.." He rubbed the back of his head with the hand that didn't hold the square piece of paper. Jongin, endeared, took the note from his hand , tucking it into his pocket, "Jongin," he walked up to the boy's side and extended his hand with a smile. The boy looked at his hand before looking up at his face and smiled in return, taking it, "Sehun."

~~~

"Find something so fun," his voice echoed in the auditorium over the crowd, loud but mellow with the underlying violins in the track. Warm.

_"Find something so fun that you'd throw your life into it."_

Jongin pirouetted across the stage, the spotlight following him across, before he reached centre stage and spun in place and as he dropped, the lights turned off and turned back on, now red, to shine on Jimin, who was posed in the exact same way as Jongin but in a more anticipatory air, whereas Jongin seemed more relaxed. The end and the beginning. Jimin dressed in black silks to Jongin's sheer and reflective whites.

As the lights on his half of the stage faded, so did his voice on the overture,

_"If it's not fun, it's also meaningless"_

~~~

"You guys did so well! I could barely sit still!" Post the last of the dance segments, the dancers gathered backstage, too tired to go back out front to watch the last of the bands performing for the night. They were surrounded by their friends who all further hyped them up, if the audience's cheer wasn't enough, as they so rightfully deserved.

As Jongin smiled and thanked people, he felt a finger poke at his back. He turned around to see Sehun standing, a little shy, with a bouquet of irises wrapped in white and gold.

"You did well. It was so beautiful." He handed Jongin the flowers, who held onto both the bouquet and Sehun's hand before he could let go.

"What about me?" He asked, mirth dancing in his eyes. Sehun went pink before sighing, giving up.

"The most beautiful." Jongin beamed and leaned in to peck Sehun's cheek.

"So...that dinner then?"

~~~

**Author's Note:**

> Please do not repost !  
> Feedback is appreciated !  
> ~ <3


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